Strategy & action plan
Briefly about the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region
The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region was officially adopted by the European Council in October 2009, on the basis of a proposal from the European Commission, which was prepared after a thorough consultation of the parties concerned.
The Strategy aims at coordinating actions by Member States, regions, the EU, pan-Baltic organisations, financing institutions, and non-governmental bodies to promote a more balanced development of the Baltic Sea Region.
The four cornerstones of the Strategy are to make this part of Europe more:
- Environmentally sustainable (e.g. reducing pollution in the sea)
- Prosperous (e.g. promoting innovation in small and medium enterprises)
- Accessible and attractive (e.g. better transport links)
- Safe and secure (e.g. improving maritime safety and accident response)
The Strategy is being implemented through an Action Plan, which is regularly updated. In this Action Plan, the larger objectives of the Strategy have been identified as Priority Areas. Currently, 15 such Priority Areas are listed, each one has at least one authority, and in some cases more, acting as Priority Area Coordinator(s), which are responsible for the progress of the Priority Area.
Each Priority Area includes a number of Flagship Projects, through which the objectives of the Strategy are turned into concrete action and activities. Each year, stakeholders of the Strategy can attend a Stakeholder Forum to exchange views and lessons learned.
Policy documents
Policy documents on the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region are usually published at the website of the European Commission´s Directorate General for Regional Policy (DG Regio).
The main policy documents of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region include: